Planning A Wedding: The Knot's Essential Guide

Planning a wedding can be a stressful experience, but The Knot is here to help. The Knot App is a free wedding planner that fits in your pocket, allowing you to research vendors and build a wedding registry from your phone. The Knot also offers a free Wedding Checklist Tool to help you stay on track, as well as budgeting tips and advice for finding the perfect venue, hiring a photographer, and shopping for your dream gown. You can also use the Knot Style Quiz to identify the general vibe you envision for your wedding, and gather inspiration that aligns with your chosen aesthetic.

Budgeting

The Knot App is a free wedding planner that can be used to research vendors and build a wedding registry. You can also use the app to keep essential documents in a virtual, sharable space so that you, your partner and any family members can share access and edit things together.

The Knot also has a free Wedding Checklist Tool to help you stay on track. This includes budgeting tips, as well as advice for finding the perfect venue, hiring a photographer, settling on a wedding style, shopping for your dream gown, finalising your guest list, and determining catering and bar costs.

You can plan a wedding in three months, or even less.

Venue

When it comes to choosing a venue for your wedding, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, think about whether you want your reception to be indoors or outdoors, and whether you want a big celebration or something more intimate. You can then start searching for venues that fit your vision. Remember that decor can help transform a venue into your style, and that every venue and package is unique. A venue's quoted cost is specific to your guest count, the hours you need it, and any specifics included, so be sure to ask for more details if you're unsure.

The Knot has a "Request Quote" feature that can help you decide what information to share so you can easily connect with venues. You can also browse galleries on the website to find your look, and discover top-rated venues for any budget, background and style. From greenhouses and mountain tops to aquariums and historic landmarks, there are plenty of out-of-the-ordinary wedding venues to choose from.

Once you've found a venue you're interested in, reach out and ask about their availability and capacity to see if it aligns with your guest count.

Photography

Wedding photography is an important part of your big day. It's a chance to capture the fleeting moments, like the cake-cutting and the first dance, that you'll want to look back on for years to come. You'll likely spend a good chunk of your wedding budget on a photographer, so make sure you choose the right one for you.

The Knot Marketplace is a great resource for finding wedding photographers. You can browse styles, budgets and galleries to find a photographer who matches your envisioned photography style. It's important to dedicate time to exploring diverse portfolios and discovering photographers whose work resonates with your preferences.

Once you've found your photographer, you can start thinking about the kinds of photos you want. The Knot has a customizable digital version of a wedding photography checklist, which you can find in their free wedding planning spreadsheets. This includes shots like the pre-ceremony excitement, the wedding party getting ready, and full-length shots of the to-be-weds in their outfits.

Don't forget to capture the little details too, like the wedding dress hanging up or the parent of the to-be-wed helping with the final touches. These photos will be yours to keep forever, so make them beautiful and authentic.

Style

Planning a wedding is no easy task, but The Knot App is a free wedding planner that can help you pull it all together. The first step is to settle on a budget, then you can start planning the style of your wedding.

The Knot Style Quiz can help you identify the general vibe you envision for your wedding. You can then gather wedding inspiration that aligns with your chosen aesthetic. It's helpful to have a mood board that highlights your favourite wedding ideas and the aesthetic you'd like to hone in on. Take your time gathering inspiration from magazines, social media, and real wedding photos, but don't limit yourself to the obvious sources. Something as unlikely as a wallpaper pattern, a scene from a favourite movie, or a family heirloom can spark your creativity and guide your wedding plans.

You can also keep essential documents in a virtual, sharable space (like Google Docs) so you, your partner, and any family members can share access and edit things together so that everyone is on the same page. But for those who prefer physical materials, you can never go wrong with a good, old-fashioned wedding notebook. After all, you'll need a place to store physical receipts, brochures, and other items from vendors.

Guest list

Planning a wedding can be stressful, but The Knot is here to help. One of the most important aspects of wedding planning is the guest list. This is where The Knot Guest List Manager comes in. This free tool allows you to add multiple guests to your guest list at once, rather than entering them one by one. You can also add guests individually by typing their information directly into the tool, or by sending them a link to a private form. The mobile app even lets you quickly add guests from your phone's contacts.

The Guest List Manager is designed to help you gather guest information and keep it organised for any and all of your wedding-related events, such as a rehearsal dinner or post-wedding brunch. You can also create events and add guests to those lists. The system will always default to showing the guests for all of your wedding-related events combined.

The Knot also provides a wedding guest list spreadsheet template, which you can copy to quickly add multiple guests to your guest list. If you already have a guest list spreadsheet, you can import it to The Knot. You can also collect addresses by sending your guests a link to a form where they can fill in their address and contact information. Once they've submitted their info, it will be automatically added to your guest list.

Your guests' information is safe and never shared with anyone for any purpose. You can also input your guests' responses to The Knot Guest List yourself, even without a website.

Frequently asked questions